Pasta/6 recipes

Minestrone pasta salad with kidney beans, chickpeas, carrots, bell pepper, and Parmesan tossed in Italian dressing. Served warm or cold in 25 minutes.

Neapolitan spaghetti alla pummarola with plum tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, and a splash of red wine. Authentic Southern Italian comfort food ready in 45 minutes.

Spaghetti with Greek lamb meatballs in a tomato feta sauce. Mint, cinnamon, and scallion-seasoned lamb meatballs simmered in white wine tomato sauce with crumbled feta stirred in.

A smooth, from-scratch tomato sauce simmered with garlic, green pepper, thyme, and basil, pureed silky and ladled over spaghetti. Freezes beautifully for busy weeknights ahead.

Stir-fried beef strips marinated in red wine vinegar with broccoli, mushrooms, and linguine, finished with Parmesan. A fast Mediterranean-style weeknight dinner.

Pasta with white clam sauce made with fresh littleneck clams steamed in fish stock, white wine, garlic, and olive oil. A light, briny Italian seafood pasta with no cream.

Frog Eye Salad with tiny acini di pepe pasta in a cooked pineapple custard, folded with mandarin oranges, marshmallows, and whipped topping. A classic potluck dessert salad.

Pasta with Alfredo-pesto sauce combines homemade basil pesto with hot cream and Parmesan for a rich, herby green cream sauce tossed with capellini or spaghetti.

Mexican manicotti: pasta shells stuffed with beef, refried beans, and cumin, smothered in corn and picante salsa. A microwave-friendly fusion casserole on the table in under 40 minutes.

Layered baked pasta casserole with hot Italian sausage, creamy spinach, and a ricotta topping. Old-school comfort food that feeds six in under an hour.

Ham and asparagus pasta in a creamy tomato sauce with evaporated milk, basil, and oregano. A one-pot trick cooks the asparagus and ham right in the pasta water.

Pasta rings tossed in cool, spiced cucumber raita with mint, cumin, and lemon. A summer pasta salad with Indian roots: tangy yogurt, crunchy cucumber, and warm cumin against tender anellini pasta.

Jumbo pasta shells stuffed with creamy chili-seasoned ground beef, baked in taco sauce under a blanket of melted cheddar, Monterey Jack, and crushed tortilla chips. Taco night meets stuffed shells.

Pasta alla Genovese with pesto, blanched green beans, Yukon gold potatoes, toasted walnuts, and Parmesan. The classic Ligurian pasta dish that proves carbs and vegetables together is genius.

Hearty pasta bean potage with cannellini beans, ham, pasta spirals, fresh tomatoes, and herbs in chicken broth. An Italian-style bean and pasta soup that eats like a meal.

Orecchiette dell'ortolano: Italian gardener's-style pasta with broiled eggplant, fire-roasted peppers, asparagus, and fresh fava beans tossed with olive oil and garlic.